MMSt 2018: THESIS PROJECTS

RESEARCH COLUMN

BY: SERENA YPELAAR

Hello Musings readers! This special post is the first in a series of installments featuring the work of the MMSt Class of 2018. This weekend, we're catching up with our brilliant thesis students to see what research they've been working on for their degree. Read on below to hear about their projects!

The​ ​Future​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Past:​ ​Third-Party​ ​Heritage​ ​Preservation​ ​Interventions​ ​and 3D​ ​Printing Technologies
Sydney Stewart Rose

Supervisor: Dr. Cara Krmpotich
Second reader: Dr. Seamus Ross, former Dean of the iSchool

Dry-dusting at work, where I specialize in intellectual property rights and copyright laws (a key aspect of my thesis research). Photo courtesy of Sydney Stewart Rose.

My project examines the use of 3D printing technologies in projects which seek to recreate cultural property destroyed in Syria by ISIS. I was really interested in thinking about the ways these types of projects may create new heritage narratives or potentially contribute to colonizing narratives. I’ve been looking at three high profile cases which use 3D printing technologies to restore cultural property destroyed by ISIS. I’m using them to create a framework to consider how these types of projects may actually contribute to colonizing narratives and offer insight into a decolonizing approach to third-party heritage intervention projects.

Close to Home: Alberta’s Local Museums on Canada’s Cultural Landscape

Kristen McLaughlin 

Supervisor: Dr. Cara Krmpotich
Second reader: Siobhan Stevenson 

I don't really have any photos of myself at work, but for my research I visited each museum, camping along the way to get a better feel for the local landscape. However, as you can see, that meant I didn't really look very glamorous for a few months. Here I am in my first campsite in the Crowsnest Pass in the Rockies of Southern Alberta, with a bit of a smoky background from all the surrounding forest fires of 2017. Photo courtesy of Kristen McLaughlin.

For the past year and a half, I’ve studied the community engagement practices of local museums, using three case studies in Alberta to better understand these distinct contexts. I’m interested in this aspect of museum studies because, as someone who did not grow up with the large urban institutions we are familiar with in this program, I noticed that local museums stories are not common in museum studies literature and work. I felt that it was important to acknowledge and try to understand the relationships between local museums and their communities—both the obstacles and the successes—and what this might mean on a larger scale.

Research possible thanks to the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation.

Affective Metadata for Object Experiences in the Art Museum
Erin Canning

Supervisor: Dr. Costis Dallas
Second reader: Dr. Cara Krmpotich

Affective metadata workshop at the 2018 iSchool Student Conference. Photo courtesy of Hannah Monkman.

For my thesis, I am exploring how to structure information about visitor experiences so that we can document it similar to how we catalogue objects – how that information can be made amenable to integration into a database, what that database would look like, and what that information would look like once it was in there. I am interested in the affective experiences that museum visitors have with artworks, and using data modeling as a way to really understand those experiences. My thesis draws together my experience as a CRO: I am applying the information systems design principles from my MI degree in the museum domain. 

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I'm in awe of these three talented MMSt/CRO students and their dedication to such extensive and important research. Excellent job Sydney, Kristen, and Erin - thank you for sharing!

Stay tuned for next weekend's article, where we'll feature the first batch of exhibition projects in the MMSt Class of 2018! 

RESEARCH REMEDY: BUILDING A POSITIVE THESIS EXPERIENCE

RESEARCH COLUMN

BY: LANA TRAN

You don’t have to write a thesis, and in the Museum Studies program, not many of us choose to. It’s easy to assume that the exhibition project stream is for building a portfolio of hands-on skills; you can realize what may be your first exhibition, and graduate feeling “workplace ready”. Yet, the thesis stream is somehow a deep dive into an academic marsh: serious thinkers only. Polarizing these two options seems to overlook the potential of either in self-reflection and development as museum professionals.

If the thesis option seems too dry or daunting for you, let’s imagine something different: how can we build a sustainable, positive lifestyle around the thesis experience, rather than simply “surviving” it?

Research as Remedy

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Research is a creative process. Breaking down your experiences and worldview to identify what interests you most may ultimately help you understand what societal concerns you want to address throughout your career. In reviewing the literature, you are challenged to find a niche – in other words, go beyond the theory and contribute a part of yourself to the discussion. While research may be inherently objective, humanizing your approach can create a more fulfilling chapter in your life.

Creating Space

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Instead of slaving away at a desk, create a space where you can actually enjoy reading and writing for hours. This does not have to mean spending money on convertible standing desks and rose gold-finished marble everything. Do you have enough natural light? How can you make your workspace just a bit more ergonomic? Do you have a list of go-to study spots on our beautiful campus? Hashtags like #studyspo or #deskspo connect to tons of workspace inspiration, but for more realistic examples, you might want to check out this crowdsourced website: https://studyspac.es/

Productivity Hacking

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If you haven’t heard of a Pomodoro Technique yet, this one is for you. In the wondrous new millennium, students have access to a plethora of software and social network resources to make the research process easier. Start with familiarizing yourself with resource and citation management tools like Zotero (keep an eye out for on-campus workshops to get started). Turn your computer into your personal secretary with workflow applications like digital calendars and Todoist. There are numerous YouTube channels with advice for avoiding procrastination, getting enough sleep or (my personal favorite) “Study With Me” videos of people, well, just studying.

Just be careful not to get overwhelmed – the goal is to build a menu of tools and tricks that work for you, and experimenting is half the fun. These strategies are useful beyond your thesis.

Campus Resources

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These resources are often worth their weight in gold, and you are already paying as a student! Try a personal librarian consultation to get your research kick-started. With the right questions, your professor’s office hours can be a source of information beyond the in-class syllabus. Outside of the classroom, consider checking in with a trainer, a nutritionist, an upper-year mentor, the embedded counsellor, or whoever else you need to make sure you have the support system your body and mind deserve.

And of course, use your peers! With the organizational support of MUSSA, I’m holding an informal meet-and-greet for first and second year students considering or undertaking the Museum Studies thesis option. All are welcome!

Date & Time: November 13, 12:00-1:00 pm
Location: Inforum 520

RESEARCH LOVES COMPANY: THESIS STUDENTS IN CONVERSATION

RESEARCH COLUMN

BY: EMILY MEIKLE

Research has a tendency to suck you in. With so many competing theories and new ideas, rabbit holes abound and it's easy to get mired in the details of your work and forget the big picture. Sometimes you just need to talk it out with other researchers.

For the final Research Column post of the semester, I sat down with my fellow second year thesis candidates, Mary Simonds and Lindsay Small, to chat about our research and discuss our ideas for future investigation. Our areas of research are diverse: Mary's work examines how value is assigned to archaeological collections over the course of their lives; Lindsay's interests lie with cultural heritage management in outer space; and my own research looks at the application of indigenous radio methodologies to archaeological collections. Despite our varied interests, we've often been able to draw connections and insights from conversations about our work and this time was no exception.

Sharing ideas with fellow researchers is great. It causes all of your minds to meld into one mega brain. The lightning bolts of brilliance are a bit of a hazard, but totally worth the risk. Source.

1. We've all started the writing process now -- how have you managed the task of finding your own voice and locating yourself within your research?

Mary: Starting the writing process was scary, being faced with this monumental task it was hard to find a place to begin. As I started to write I found myself writing as if I was writing an essay for a class. I struggled with the idea that I had any kind of authority to write as if my research and my conclusions held value. Finding my voice was difficult, but I’m finally getting the hang of it.

Emily: Like Mary, I've definitely been struggling with the idea that I have authority in my own writing. One thing I've found in my research though, is that by acknowledging my own voice, I can more easily acknowledge my own biases. So to conquer my fear of writing with authority, I've been approaching it more as writing without hiding, so that I can be sure to come face to face with my own assumptions.

Lindsay: I agree wholeheartedly that starting the writing process is incredibly daunting. After all, this is what everything has been building up to. I've realized that there are a lot of things that I am sensitive to in my research because of my background and interests. Therefore, I've tried really hard to separate out what is meaningful and what is probably just the reality of museum work. For example, I've found that a lot of the older exhibits at the National Air and Space Museum use sexist language to describe space flight (i.e. manned, manmade, mankind) but many of the new exhibits (usually) use inclusive language. Is this because the exhibits are older and haven't been changed? Because this was the vernacular of the times? Or should inclusive language be something that is strived for regardless of the time the exhibit describes? (Obviously, not including direct quotes.) 

Pretending to be Adele while you write really helps with your authorial confidence. Trust me. I've tried it. Source.

2. All three of our research areas address interpretation in some way. How has your research changed your understanding of interpretation? Are there scholars with whom you used to agree, whose ideas you now question?

Mary: Personally, I now find it more difficult to simply agree or disagree with a scholar. Throughout this process you conduct so much research and read countless books and articles by a variety of scholars, whether they end up being useful to your writing or not. There are so many ways you can interpret theory and information, I often find myself simultaneously agreeing and disagreeing with the author as I read their work.

Emily: Going into my research, I certainly had scholars that I firmly agreed with about interpretation, most of whom asserted the importance of being in the presence of an object. However, in looking at remote interpretation of indigenous archaeological collections, I found that the subject matter's connection to a number of fraught social issues meant that discussing the objects led to a much broader discussion about access and privilege. In this case, the objects weren't simply standing in for stories of the past but also for issues in the present, so their presence or absence during interpretation was a complicated matter.

Lindsay: I have a huge on again off again relationship with James Cuno. I feel that a lot of what he writes relates directly to what I am doing. However, there are some intensely problematic issues with the concept of the universal (especially when you are discussing the literal universe). I have found a lot of scholars who seem to work in very disparate fields that comment very profoundly on what I'm writing about especially in terms of colonialism and frontierism. The greatest surprise is how interdisciplinary my reading list is. 

I'm going to challenge your theories... but can we still be friends? Source.

3. What aspect of your research still poses a question for you? What is your most pressing unsolved mystery?

Mary: A lot of the problem solving within my research involves archival materials and relies on documentation to help “solve the mystery” of the two collections I am working with. My biggest unanswered question in my research comes from absent documentation and how to fill in the gaps it leaves within my writing.

Emily: My work so far has been about how to use radio as a means of offering remote interpretation of collections -- but I've also been finding that people tend to refer to the physical landscape quite often when they're talking about radio. This was kind of unexpected for me and I think it draws an interesting parallel with how we describe archaeological collections, so its something I'd like to look into more.

Lindsay: I think, right now, the greatest mystery is whether this is all going to work out or not. As anyone who takes on a big project can agree (and I'm sure our exhibition buddies have felt this too) it is a roller coaster. Sometimes you think everything is going amazingly well and then other days you feel as though everything is coming apart and why oh why did you do this to yourself and is anything I'm saying going to make sense and on and on. However, the intellectual challenge of this type of work is very rewarding and at the end of the day, the ability to think deeply about things you care about is quite satisfying.

Despite our worst fears about our future research problems, we can at least be sure that they will involve very few demons and nary an apocalypse. Source.

Editor's note:
Emily Meikle is an MMSt candidate with a background in archaeology and English literature. Her thesis research explores accessibility in indigenous archaeological collections with specific attention to the use of radio as an interpretive tool. Find out more about her research here.

Mary Simonds is a second year MMSt student. She has her Honors Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Classical Studies. Her thesis, entitled Becoming Antiquities: how museum artifacts gain educational and heritage value, focuses on the “value” of archaeological objects as defined by their institutions as either educational or heritage objects, and how this value can evolve over the course of an objects “life”. Find out how her thesis research began  here.

Lindsay Small is an MMSt student with a master’s degree in Science and Technology Studies from York University. Her thesis is on cultural heritage management in outer space. Lindsay's interest in outer space began as a young child, but her proclivity for motion sickness and a fondness for gravity supersede any ambition to actually go there. Follow her on twitter at @lindsaymarlies, and check out the latest Musings post about her research here.

THE BEST LAID PLANS: ENCOUNTERING THE UNEXPECTED IN RESEARCH

... In which three second year thesis students reflect on lessons learned the hard way over the summer. 

RESEARCH COLUMN

BY: EMILY MEIKLE

Despite our best laid plans, research is often a wily creature with a mind of its own. Frustrating though this can be, Mary Simonds, Emily Meikle, and Lindsay Small ponder the serendipity of the research process and share nuggets of advice for those moments when the plan gets left in the dust.

Mary Simonds: Overcoming Researcher's Block

At the beginning of this summer I was excited to really dive into my research. I had a list of recommended readings from my supervisor and second reader, I had my collection and some it’s associated documentation, and a couple of leads from the museum staff for where to further pursue the collections’ history. It felt like I had a pretty good start…

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… but I felt stuck. I felt like my research wasn’t really moving forward. I had the tools to get started, but I didn’t know how to apply them for the benefit of my project. I felt like I still had no idea what I was doing. I had what I like to call researcher's block (this was on top of how hard it is to motivate yourself to do school work during summer!).

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However, I realized that I did not have to make any amazing leaps forward in my research throughout the summer. I was still in the beginning stages and what I was doing was a good start. I had to keep reminding myself that I didn’t have to have everything done by the end of summer. So what did I learn? Don’t panic just keep at it!

Emily Meikle: Navigating Collaboration

We hear it time and again: establishing collaborations between an institution and the community is difficult and requires patience. Yes, we all nod, this is certainly true… But until I began trying to recruit participants and develop a collaboration as a case study for my research, I just didn’t get how complex this process is.

I called dozens of people and left messages across the province to no avail. When I did get a response, it wasn’t the one I was hoping for. This felt like a good time to panic. The truth of research involving human participation hit me hard: the hypothetical participants you imagine when drafting your proposal are real individuals and have other (more important) things to do besides helping you with your research. Collaborations should work equally for all parties, and I was asking for too much commitment without enough benefit.

Sometimes you think you're going about a collaboration in the right way, when really you're an overly affectionate ostrich. Source.

While it was scary at the time, encountering this challenge helped me explore the viability of the collaboration. I decided to change my methodology slightly, so the project would require less of participants – which also allowed me to include more participants, making my data more reliable. Once I had made the changes and returned to recruiting, I noticed a positive change in responses almost immediately. People were interested in the project after all, it was just that (unlike for me) the project wasn’t at the centre of their attention.

(For a surprisingly comprehensive "quick and dirty" guide to collaboration, check out this handy Museum 2.0 post)


Lindsay Small: Finding Data in Unexpected Places

This summer I read dozens of aviation documents during my internship. A lot of these newsletters and articles came from a pre-moon-landing era. It was wild to try and get into the mindset of someone who was writing about firsts in aviation or space before the Apollo program. A significant portion of my thesis surrounds the cultural narrative of space travel. What assumptions do people make when talking about space? How do people buy into or subvert the dominant narrative of exploration? By having access to these documents, I was able to look, firsthand, at what was being said about these accomplishments at the dawn of the space age in a Canadian context.

Excerpt from Propwash Newsletter September 1953. Photo credit: Lindsay Small.

Also, as you can imagine, many of the narratives were rife with sexist terminology. This is another aspect of my research. Do the words we use to talk about space play into a dominant cultural narrative? I found myself drawn to articles about female pilots who excelled in classes or won top awards and could only hope to secure jobs as airline stewardesses (I'm using that term consciously!) if they wished to make a career in the aviation sector. While this is not a surprise – it did drive home that this was not that long ago, and that there is still a ways to go before we stop talking about 'manned missions' or 'man made objects'. 

"Girl?!?" Photo credit: Lindsay Small.

(For more on inclusive language in space travel, see Dr. Alice Gorman's "How to Avoid Sexist Language in Space" if you're curious.)


Editor's note:
Emily Meikle is an MMSt candidate with a background in archaeology and English literature. Her thesis research explores accessibility in indigenous archaeological collections with specific attention to the use of radio as an interpretive tool. Find out more about her research here.

Mary Simonds is a second year MMSt student. She has her Honors Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Classical Studies. Her thesis, entitled Becoming Antiquities: how museum artifacts gain educational and heritage value, focuses on the “value” of archaeological objects as defined by their institutions as either educational or heritage objects, and how this value can evolve over the course of an objects “life”. Find out how her thesis research began  here.

Lindsay Small is an MMSt student with a master’s degree in Science and Technology Studies from York University. Her thesis is on cultural heritage management in outer space. Lindsay's interest in outer space began as a young child, but her proclivity for motion sickness and a fondness for gravity supersede any ambition to actually go there. She will be giving a paper on this topic (space museums, not motion sickness) at the Ontario Museum Association conference in November. Follow her on twitter at @lindsaymarlies, and check out the latest Musings post about her research here.

SURVIVING YOUR THESIS: TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS

RESEARCH COLUMN

BY: JANINE ZYLSTRA

Have you decided to take the thesis option for the MMSt program? Or are you in the midst of your thesis and wondering how you are going to make it through? Fear not! Three MMSt students completing their thesis as we speak have six wonderful pieces of advice to help you on your way. 

Take it one step at a time.

It is so easy to get overwhelmed by all the steps involved in a thesis, and rightly so! There is A LOT of work involved. Finding your topic, conducting research, finding an advisor, applying for grants … and oh yah! Actually writing it … The best thing to remember is to take each stage as it comes. Focus on one task at a time and it will seem far more manageable. I suggest putting each step in your calendar along with your other courses and assignments to help you stay organized. Doing your thesis is marathon, not a sprint! – Mary Simonds

Source.

Leave yourself a paper trail.

Every so often you’ll find yourself trying to explain your thesis only to realize that none of it makes any sense. At times like these it helps to have copies of your work in different stages to refer back to. Make a folder on your desktop and fill it with the research and writing you’ve done so far. This will help keep track of sources and ideas and will also remind you that no, you are not crazy and yes, your research is worthwhile. Remember that these times of doubt will come and keep your paper trail handy so that you can find it before you decide to set your laptop on fire and quit museums entirely. – Emily Meikle

Source.

Allow yourself the luxury of fun.

Whatever it is that you love to do during your down time – do it! It sounds simple, but often when I have a project I feel bad for every minute that I'm not working on it. I love to play video games and I find that, instead of being a gaping void of procrastination, they actually help me focus and get my work done. If I know I want to grind out some levels I'll schedule my day so that I finish whatever I have to do first. Or if I'm really stuck, I'll play a game where I can zone out and let the ideas percolate whilst I am raiding tombs, exploring Tamriel, or fighting for the Alliance in Azeroth. – Lindsay Small

Oh Elder Scrolls Online, how I love you. Source: Lindsay Small.

Just do it.

When first getting the thesis ball rolling, I kept waiting around for some official signal that it was okay to actually start researching or that my thesis had begun. Writing a thesis feels like such a big thing that it’s easy to forget that it’s just research and that no one’s going to do it if you don’t. Realizing that no one is going to wave their wand and make you into a “Real Scholar” is both scary and liberating. YOU are the primary investigator, so get down to work and start investigating! – Emily Meikle 

Source.

Have a little help from your friends.

Talk to anyone and everyone about your research. I am lucky to have one of the best friends in the history of time and he keeps himself up to date on new and interesting stories which happen in the field of my research. He comes at these topics with a different perspective than my anthropology/museum studies brain. This makes me think about things from other angles which provides a more holistic way to do research. Research can be very isolating and it's tremendously valuable to have people who you can talk to about why you're sitting alone in Robarts with a stack of books crying for most of your waking hours. – Lindsay Small 

Besties for life! Source.

Enjoy Yourself!

There will be times when you question why you decided to do this (many, many times...). Things will not go as planned; sources will not pan out like you thought they would, you’ll get frustrated by the theory, and a number of other equally exasperating things. Just remember that this is supposed to be a fun and interesting experience! This is your opportunity to really delve into a topic that is important to you, and it is a time for you to focus on something that you find truly interesting. – Mary Simonds

There you have it! Now get out there and start researching! On behalf of the Musings team I would like to thank these three amazing ladies for sharing their research and advice with us over the summer. Below you can find brief bios from each of them and links to their past posts about their research. 

Emily Meikle is an MMSt candidate with a background in archaeology and English literature. Her thesis research explores accessibility in indigenous archaeological collections with specific attention to the use of radio as an interpretive tool. Find out more about her research here.

Mary Simonds is a second year MMSt student. She has her Honors Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Classical Studies. Her thesis, entitled Becoming Antiquities: how museum artifacts gain educational and heritage value, focuses on the “value” of archaeological objects as defined by their institutions as either educational or heritage objects, and how this value can evolve over the course of an objects “life”.  Find out how her thesis research began here.

Lindsay Small is an MMSt student with a master’s degree in Science and Technology Studies from York University. Her thesis is on cultural heritage management in outer space. Lindsay's interest in outer space began as a young child, but her proclivity for motion sickness and a fondness for gravity supersede any ambition to actually go there. She will be giving a paper on this topic (space museums, not motion sickness) at the Ontario Museum Association conference in November. Follow her on twitter at @lindsaymarlies, and check out the latest Musings post about her research here.